Geauga Park District and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo are working in tandem to ensure the limited spotted turtle population in Ohio doesn’t disappear.
The reptile is on the state’s threatened species list and without intervention might become endangered.
“If we don’t do something about it they may disappear in 10 years,” said Paul Pira, a Park District biologist.
Though not threatened in other areas of the U.S., the prevalence of spotted turtles in the northeastern states and Canada is extremely limited.
The species, which is naturally slow to mature and reproduce, also is the victim of predators, especially raccoons. A loss of its preferred wetlands habitat coupled with an illegal pet trade adds to the creatures’ scarcity.
Pira explained that the spotted specimen differs from other turtles in that it traverses more on land than most that prefer to spend their days in and around water.
He introduced the idea for the project in 2011 after a similar endeavor to replenish brook trout in the area was successful.
Zoo officials agreed to assist and volunteered space in the zoo’s veterinary hospital where incubation and hatching is taking place in a biosecure facility protected from pathogens.
The project officially began in 2012 with the collection of three female spotted turtles habitating in the Park District.
After X-rays were taken it was determined that one of the female turtles contained three eggs. Carefully placed and observed in incubators, the trio of tiny turtles hatched in about 50 days. Two remained healthy and continue to live in the zoo under controlled conditions while growing and maturing, giving them optimal chances of survival — a process termed “headstarting.”
Each of the turtles currently measures about 3 inches in length and weighs 85 to 90 grams.
“Right now they’re kind of at the size where anything could eat them,” said Dr. Mike Selig, one of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo veterinarians working on the effort.
Selig said a “soft release” is planned for next spring. Although living in the woods, they’ll be surrounded by a large screened enclosure to deter predators before an eventual full release.
Attempts to gather more specimens from the Park District in the spring of 2013 and 2014 were not successful.
“If you miss the few weeks’ window you’re out of luck,” Pira said.
He added that from the start those working with the endeavor knew the project would not be short-term, and plan on following through for several more years.
He noted that in 2015 the hope is to get more eggs and hatch them to “ensure that this turtle population is here in the next 50 years.”
Park District intern Allison Robbins has been attempting to radio track the turtle population through a device affixed to their shells. However, because the reptiles’ treks through Mother Nature leads them through a variety of challenging elements some of the tiny transmitters have been lost.
Selig and Pira said the project has received a good amount of support from several organizations. The Ohio Division of Wildlife, John Carroll University, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and others have been involved. A fundraiser at the Cleveland Aquarium raised about $18,000 to help with the effort.
“It’s not every day you can get something back that’s threatened or endangered,” Pira said. “We kind of have a chance here.”